Most businesses are small or medium-sized enterprises (SMBs) with limited teams and few marketing resources. According to a Keap Small Business Marketing Report, “Marketing, especially digital marketing, is elusive to small businesses. Many owners reported their greatest challenge is getting a break from their business long enough to attempt marketing.”
Who can blame them?
There are many aspects of digital marketing with different experts and disparate marketing services. It’s hard to know where to start. Since most SMBs don’t have dedicated (digital) marketing resources, they don’t want to waste time or resources and often don’t get started at all.
An Integrated Approach
Do it all – but do it strategically. Investing in an integrated strategy will deliver much more than the sum of its parts and is a more economical approach. An integrated digital marketing strategy for SMBs includes the following key pillars:
· Be found online – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ensures the business has a website that is crawlable by Google, has current and relevant content, and has the domain authority to rank higher than its competition.
· Reach more customers – A regular cadence of good marketing communication keeps the business in touch with its customers, prospects, and industry. Outbound communications such as Email marketing and press releases can get the word out.
· Build Credibility – When buyers come to a website, they want to be informed, educated, and inspired. Content marketing such as blogs, videos, and graphic content helps businesses effectively share their expertise and build authority and trust
· Build their Brand, drive traffic to the website, and network with buyers – Social Media is more important than most small businesses realize, especially because their buyers are there. Active social accounts enable a business to share its story, be authentic, and have 2-way digital conversations that can turn into opportunities.
Embrace the Digital Customer Journey
The customer journey is digital, and it’s not going back. All businesses must be where their customers are. Investing in an integrated strategy yields more benefits, ensuring that every element supports and enhances the others. Whether it’s driving traffic to a website or promoting content through email marketing or social media, all the components are interconnected.
Build Momentum & Optimize
Once a business gets started with an integrated digital marketing service strategy, momentum will build. Over time, the business must continually review its progress. While it should continue with an integrated strategy, the business may decide to allocate investments in specific areas where they have low-hanging fruit they can exploit, and in other areas where they need to catch up.
Accelerate faster with AscendX Digital
At AscendX Digital, we specialize in delivering integrated digital marketing services, covering the essentials for SMBs to get started and accelerate online. Our ongoing communication, sharing of insights, and guidance empower clients to become more informed and educated, leading to more collaborative strategy-building.
If you are a small or medium sized business or MSP, check out the Digital Accelerator Bundle from AscendX Digital. It’s an easy way to get started and build a comprehensive online presence, with one, manageable monthly fee. Learn more by visiting our website at www.ascendxdigital.com/DAS.